Which assignment would be in the best interest of a nurse reentering practice following treatment for abuse of mood-altering drugs?

Question

1. Place the nurse on a different unit and allow the administration of all drugs.
2. Reassign the nurse for a period of time to a unit where no mood-altering drugs are given.
3. Retain the nurse on the original unit and allow the administration of mood-altering drugs.
4. Return the nurse to the original unit at a less stressful time, such as night shift.

Answer 1

2
Rationale 1: In many cases state law or administrative policy will restrict a recovering nurse in the early post-treatment period from handling controlled substances.
Rationale 2: Removal of the temptation is a positive step for the recovering nurse. The best action would be to temporarily have the nurse reassigned to a unit where there are no mood-altering drugs.
Rationale 3: If the nurse must be assigned to the original unit, he or she should not administer mood-altering drugs. However, this plan does require informing the other nurses of the situation, which can also be problematic.
Rationale 4: Recovering nurses should be discouraged from working evening or night shifts.
Global Rationale: